In
the past there were very few choices for a good
camera
bag. It was usually a
shoulder
bag, made of leather, with some various unpadded dividers
inside. We have come a long way with today's
camera
bags. In terms of padding, compartments, versatility, and
functionality today's bags have a lot to offer. With so
many bag options it's hard to know where
to start. We're going to start by taking a look at
slingbags.
You would be surprised how many different models there are for
slingbags.
We're going to evaluate some of the differences between them
in this article.

Slingshots

They
have revolutionized how we carry our cameras. One big strap goes over
your shoulder, then when you want to use your camera you just sling the
bag around to the front to access your camera gear. I have
been using the
slingshot 100 for over 3 years now and have found it to be very helpful
in many arenas. It can hold my Nikon D200 with a 24-60 f/2.8
on it, my SB-800 flash, a fast prime lens and various accessories.
It is really a great bag for keeping it small and still being
able to carry my essential gear. And the best part is, I can
carry lunch in the top compartment, or whatever "other" stuff I might
need that day. Then when you go up in size you can add more
gear, and a bigger lunch. In the new style
Slingshot bags, the
102,
202, and
302 they added a couple of minor tweaks. The first is a strap
on the side to carry your tripod or mono-pod. The next is an
extra pocket on the top compartment for small accessories.
Overall a great
camera
bag that can be used for a lot of purposes.

Classified
Sling 180 and 220

The
Classified bags are designed to be very discreet, but very functional.
It's quite a different layout than the
Slingshot. It's made to hold a lot more camera gear, and even
a 15" laptop in the Classified Sling 220 and a netbook in the
Classified Sling 180. Sorry there is no room for lunch in
this bag, unless of course you want to pull out some of your camera
gear, but who wants to do that! Like I said the design is
quite a bit different from the
slingshot. It is more of a vertical bag vs the
slingshot is more of a horizontal bag. In the
classified you're accessing all your gear from the top down, if you
want to get to the bottom you pull up a divider and voila! In
the
slingshot you can unzip the top flap and see all your gear nicely
divided. This is mainly all personal preference, but like I
always say, if it isn't comfortable then you might as well leave the
bag on some corner somewhere if you think you're never going to use it.
Modern, very discreet, and very functional
slingbags.

Passport
Sling

The
Passport Sling is the most recent addition. This is a very
interesting bag. It is a core bag just like the
slingshot 100, meaning it will hold the main camera gear, camera body,
main lens, flash, and various accessories. The cool thing is
that it is collapsible, and has room for all your extras (like
your lunch) and is expandable. The bag's shape is a little
something to get used to and look at, but it's really a very functional
and versatile camera bag. A great accessory if you
need a collapsible bag for travel.

Outback 200 & 300

The Outback 200 & Outback 300 are really not traditional
slingbags, however they come with a strap that converts them into a
sling style bag. They are mainly a
waist belt system with add on sliplock pouch capability.

Whichever sling bag you choose, they have really revolutionized the
camera bag, making it more versatile and functional for today's
photographer than ever. I'm sure these bags will evolve as
time goes on. Just like we have already seen with the new versions of
the
slingshots. One thing is for certain that
slingbags are here to stay!